Silence filled the room for several moments. Silence and…

Moans. Light sounding moans, the sound of flesh against flesh, and a girl screaming out.

I grimaced, and Borden’s face fell.

“What the fuck?” he barked out.

I motioned to the computer behind me. “He…He watches stuff.”

He paused and glanced around the room, as if it was suddenly necessary to take in our surroundings. His nostrils flared in disgust, and yeah, it was gross in here. You could tell it was Denny’s little shrine with his posters of nude women up and high school pictures a million years ago when he was part of the football team.

As the moans continued, he sighed and shook his head. “This is so beneath me.”

“I-I can turn it off, if you want –”

“Yeah, turn it off, doll. Turn it the fuck off.”

Too shaken to walk, I bent down and pulled the computer plug out from the wall while he mumbled a few colourful curses. Then real silence took over, and I stood back up, leaning my weight against the desk for some support. This man was a ticking time bomb and I needed to get this shit-storm smoothed out A.S.A.P.

I repeated what I said before. “I didn’t say anything, Mr Borden. To the police officer, I mean. I didn’t say a word.”

“I know you didn’t say anything,” he told me, moving slowly toward me while he levelled me with a deep stare. “What I’m more concerned about, Miss Warne, is you opening your mouth when what happened eventually hits some moral button inside you and you feel you have the responsibility to say something.”

I scoffed. “If you knew anything about me, you’d know that’s not going to happen.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I think for myself, and I know the difference between being stupid and smart.”

“Then you know why I’m doing this.”

“Yeah, and I think you’re being paranoid.”

His brows shot up, like I’d just insulted him, and I probably had. Maybe I wasn’t all that smart after all.

“I’ve been in this situation more times than once, doll,” he explained. “I have a reason to be paranoid. I know how this will play out. You go to the police, you tell them what you think you saw or heard, and then I get a case on my back. The police proceed to tear apart my businesses, fuck with every part of my life, all because of one little mouth opening. No one’s been successful, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. I’m no stranger to the law jumping me from behind–”

“And you’re here to intimidate me,” I interrupted. I was surprised at my outburst, but I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. All I kept thinking about just then were Granny’s words echoing inside my mind.

Don’t let anybody walk all over you.

I wondered if she would feel the same way if she knew it would be Borden walking all over me.

Probably not.

“Isn’t that right?” I pressed, swallowing hard.

He tilted his head to the side and his lips twitched. “I’m here to tell you I can do a little more than just intimidate, Miss Warne. I can do pretty much anything I want.”

Right there he was demonstrating his power over me, and I felt a slither of anger at his cockiness.

“Anything,” he proceeded to say, his eyes roaming every part of me, sending my heart rate on overdrive and at the same time making my skin flush from the intensity of his gaze. “And you know what I mean about anything, don’t you, Miss Warne?”

I gripped the edge of the desk behind me tightly with both hands as I retorted, “I know that you’re threatening me.”

He licked his lips again, those fucking lips of doom that made my own tingle. “I’m simply stating the facts, doll. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.”

I blinked. Did the asshole just quote one of Newton’s three laws of motion to me?

He continued to move toward me, and I was suddenly very mindful of that. Completely frozen in place, I watched him cut the distance, part of me wondering what he was going to do when he reached me…and why I was so interested to find out.

“Am I making myself clear, Emma?” he asked, stopping in front of me, leaning forward so he was standing over me. His arms were outstretched on either side of me, gripping the desk behind me, calloused fingers lightly brushing against mine.

I tilted my head up at him and felt my body tremble under the weight of his gaze. To submit, or not to submit? That was the question.

And I kinda fucked it up.

“No, Borden,” I bit back without thought. “You’re just being a bully, and it’s ridiculous because you’re the one that fucked up. I never asked to hear what I did when I walked out of your club; it just happened. If something like that jeopardises your business, your reputation, or your interests, then maybe you ought to start strangling people off your premises.”

Silence.

Dear God, what had I just said? Truth was, his words had hit a nerve. There was nothing I hated more than somebody inserting their authority over me. Someone that made me feel trapped and degraded, like scum that could be bossed around anytime he liked, and you know what? I’d been looked through enough the last two years working at this dump of a place, being bossed around by a dick who thought I was nothing. But being passive at work was a necessity. I needed income and I needed a job, and it didn’t matter what that was.

But this wasn’t work. This was a man that wanted to control me by frightening me, and I certainly was not brought up to take this kind of abuse. Marcus Borden or not, it was unacceptable, and, admittedly, it was killing what little pride I had left.

When his captivating eyes widened even just a little bit at what I’d said, I knew I could corner him. I knew he was trying to intimidate me and make me feel like I had no choice, but I did. This newfound realization toughened me up just enough for me to lean forward, until we were inches apart, and return the severe look he was now giving me.

“Do you think I’d have walked out that door if I knew what was going to happen?” I asked him. “Do you know how deluded I would have to be to talk about it too? I’m well aware of what you’re capable of, but you’re misplacing your blame, and it would be wise if we both just stop and forget whatever happened, or whatever we think happened the other night.”

If he had chosen to talk right then and there, I’m not sure I would have heard him over the sounds of my own heartbeats whooshing in my ears. My fingernails dug into the wood of the desk painfully as my heart nearly shot out of my chest.